For just a moment time stopped.
Later that night I told my wife that little flash in time was truly one of the best moments in my life.
Most likely that little flash never would have happened if my wife and I hadn’t gone through what we’d gone through a little over five years ago. In the course of thirteen months we both lost our jobs during the middle of the recession. Over the course of the next eighteen months we went through all of our savings and had to sell our home before going into foreclosure.
It was a crisis time in our lives. I won’t bore you with the details but it was far more challenging in many ways than anything we had dealt with as a couple previously. It was during that time I began to see the need for courage in my life. It was during that time I decided to start my own business built around courage. Fear had kept me from starting my own business many times before this crisis forced my hand.
As I look back over the last five years I am blessed by so many memories of things that never would have happened if I/we hadn’t lost our job/jobs.
Crisis in our lives builds us and shapes us and makes us new and, if we are willing, better. I never want to go back and live through that again and, yet, I recognize I am a better person because of it. If I hadn’t gone through what I went through five years ago I truly believe I would not have experienced that moment in time that can’t be described in words.
Josiah was two years old at the time. He is my grandson. We had been invited to someone’s house for a campfire in their backyard. Josiah would be there. We live in the same small town as Josiah, his mom and his dad and his older sister and his younger brother. We get to see them often. If we hadn’t lost our jobs I believe we would still be in the large metropolitan area about three hours away.
When we got to our friends’ home we walked around to the backyard where the fire was and everyone was gathering. Josiah didn’t see us right away and we were probably fifty yards away from him when someone said to him, “Josiah, look who’s here!” He turned around and saw me and his whole face lit up. He screamed as he began running to me, “Boppa, Boppa, I missed you, I missed you!”
It had only been four or five days since I’d seen him. As he ran towards me he had to go down a little hill. I expected him to tumble and roll but he kept his balance. As he got closer he began to raise his arms in expectation of me picking him up continuing to scream, “Boppa, I missed you!” When I lifted him high off the ground and held him close he gave me a big hug and turned and whispered into my ear, “I missed you, Boppa!”
A tear comes to my eye even as I relive the memory while writing about it. I’m not sure why but at that moment the world stopped. Everything we had gone through over the last five years was worth it because of that moment. I can still hear his little voice.
Another value of experiencing crisis in our lives is a recognition of what is really important in life. I originally wrote this post in September of 2015. Since that time Josiah has had two brothers born. The youngest of those brothers, Theo, was born with a heart condition and had two open heart surgeries. You can read more of his story here. This past June, our daughter, Sara, the mother of our four grandkids, was diagnosed with breast cancer and is in the middle of her battle with that disease. Overall, she is doing well and her prognosis is good.
Again, because we went through a crisis time in 2010-2013 we moved to be closer to our kids and grandkids. If we don’t go through that we likely aren’t living here to help during our daughter’s family times of crisis. We don’t always understand why we face crises in our lives. After the fact, though, we can find value in that crisis.
It takes courage to step out of the crises we face in life and look for the lessons and look for the growth.
Whether it’s in your business or personal life do you have the courage to step out of the crisis and see how you’ve grown, to see how you are better?
I’m sorry for whatever crisis you have gone through but your disaster puts you in a position to compassionately make a difference in the lives of those around you.
Have a STRONG and COURAGEOUS day!
Looking for a speaker for an upcoming event? I’d love to be that guy. You can reach me at dave@cultivatecourage.com or 952-200-7499.
You can now buy the book “Cultivate Courage” on Amazon! https://amzn.to/2N2PBVJ
WOW Dave, who knew your life had taken such a sudden change and Crisis! But, as the saying goes, when one door closes, another opens. Congratulations on overcoming such an ordeal and becoming an ever better person, in addition to becoming a stronger person. Another old saying, what doesn’t kill us will make us stronger….Blessings my brother!!!!
I always appreciate your feedback, Craig! Thanks for taking the time to read and comment. That saying of whatever doesn’t kill us makes us strong is so, so true! Blessings to you as well!